The responses to Patrick Ruffini, Jon Henke and Rick Moran are growing fast. So here's a bunch more on the fiasco.
Useful Idiots, Or The Next Right?
It looks to me as though Tannehaus' The Death of Conservatism is in large part the actual inspiration and brains behind Henke and Ruffini's current so deeply informed insights and deeply concerned efforts all meant to get the Next Right right.
... who is Tannehaus? I've seen him referred to as a conservative, but I'll put my money on the wisdom from someone named Mona at Q & O - that is originally Henke's site, after all.
I deeply admire Sam Tanenhaus, who is a liberal Democrat and scholar, editor of the NYT Review of Books, author of a superb biography of Whittaker Chambers, and currently working on one about WFB.
Ah, now that makes it even more interesting. So the wisdom that is Henke and Ruffini advising conservatives today actually comes from a liberal Democrat? Yes, I've no doubt all good liberal Democrats want nothing more than to help conservatives succeed.
Funny though, as Tannehaus had a somewhat different take on extremists and extremism when his Democrats were out of power ...
I’ll tell you what. Let’s get Cornyn to denounce the Birthers, and Pelosi to denounce the Truthers. Problem is, she can’t: they’re her base. Mustn’t let plebes seize power through such reactionary means as plebescites.
This is a little like the pro-reform doctor who wants opponents of ObamaCare to forego Medicare: sure, just give them back the money they paid into the system, first. But before any of that, let’s find out from Obama and Arianna whether it’s acceptable to have Truthers in positions of high government trust.
Moran presents a rather distorted account of things. By his telling you would think that moderates were minding their own business one day, when out of nowhere the angry, pitchfork-wielding extremists came to purge them from the party. Sadly the opposite is closer to the truth. Ever since the election moderates have been attempting to make the case that conservatives need to change their positions on any number of issues ... ignoring first of all the polling data that indicates that they are wrong, but more important denying our deeply held principles ...
It is in fact the so-called ideologues who have been fighting a rear-guard action and standing up for Burkean principles. We refuse to simply abandon the foundations of conservatism, and for this we have been mocked and belittled by unprincipled incompetents like David Frum, whose sole concern is electoral victory, as though that the were the most cherished principle in the universe. Uninterested in fighting the good fight and standing up for traditional values – you know, kind of like Burke would suggest we do – these wimps would rather turn tail and run and go along with the supposed prevailing wisdom ...
Zen and the Art of Conservative Motorcycle Maintenancee:
For me, Conservatism is that little voice in that back of the gray matter which cautions you against moving to hastily through the minefield of life. Or to think when a decision needs to be weighed out by consequences of actions versus their benefits for yourself and others around you. Calculations coupled with instinct and a little bit of faith in yourself, and occasionally something Higher. The ideas which we prize so highly such as the Constitution, limited government, freedom, liberty, etc. are all manifestations of our conservatism, but hardly define it.
The concept is fairly uncomplicated and no matter how many Sam Tanehaus’s juxtapose Burke to the modern day conservative movement, how many decry “movement conservatives,” or how many brandish arms against the Right’s intelligentsia these facts will never change.
